My Home from Home from Home

I sit here on an upholstered dining chair at a wooden table in front of a television. I have my laptop, phones, magazines. I have wine, water and wasabi peas. There’s a flushing toilet. This is luxury

I realised as I let myself into my neighbour’s charming apartment that I have become very comfortable here. I want for nothing and his charges are very reasonable. The fact that I can get a phone signal and use his wifi means that I can even stay in touch with Baz and C

Meanwhile our own house is shrouded in scaffolding. The sight stopped me in my tracks when I arrived, even though it was planned. Inside I was surprised and impressed to see that the builders have reinstated the little Formica kitchen table and 2 chairs that we had ‘bunged’ into the garage, presumably as somewhere to sit and take a proper break

Someone on a British TV programme this week described the French way of life as ‘gentle and civilised’. I realise that ‘frustrating’ will be another adjective I’ll continue to use, but both Baz and I thought this was a perfect description. There is merit in upholding traditions and rituals, in maintaining the order that has prevailed. In the UK we have some stunning villages – there is no doubt of that – but in France the villages still largely live and breathe, many communities exist in much the same way as they have for a very long time, and older people generally seem less isolated and lonely

Perhaps I am wrong about that, but most people are deeply sociable and enjoy the company of others. I have just read Blog-sur-Aude’s post (coteetcampagne) about just the same thing – community spirit, available company, shared interests: a village bench where people sit if they choose company. These days millions of people in the UK have nowhere to meet up with others and often no daily connection with their community. A gentler and more civilised way of life would solve so many social problems

Frustrating it can certainly be but I am willing to turn a blind eye to that bit in favour of the gentle and civilised. It far outweighs any irritation I might occasionally find welling up inside me. My flat is above the Nursery School and at the end of the park is the Salle de Fêtes – literally ANY chance the community have to come together they all gather – it might be a political meeting, it might be a retrospective of school life inthe community it might be a vin d’honneur for a bride and groom or it might be a wake for one of their number passing. But they come together. I don’t see the same in England. And it saddens me.

I think the general decline of the British pub is both a cause and a symptom of this. In my teens and twenties I worked in pubs, some of the real regulars were elderly and/or lonely people who would drop by as part of their daily routine and who would pass an hour or two in company. If one of them didn’t turn up someone would always pop by and check they were OK. It was a very healthy situation where all ages mixed and cared for each other

All the above is true, that’s why we picked French village with an infrastructure, many are picturesque but without a shop, cafe or focal point for the locals. Great photo on that laptop P, gosh you look fit……….

I think you are right about village communities having changed here in the UK. It may be because the people living in the villages work elsewhere and have no real need to become involved in the local community. And yes, this does mean that community spirit has become eroded, and it is the older generations who feel it the most. The French way is certainly more sociable; I’m afraid the English tend to be “busy fools” for much of the time. My last post was about a country church that is falling apart – again the depleted village population and the move away from weekly worship has contributed to its demise. I enjoyed reading your post.